Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-12-30
WHAT STRIKING COSTS.
LABOR COMMISSIONER WRIGHT PRE-
sENTs AN ARRAY OF FIGURES.

A Loss to Employees OF Nearly $50, 600 900,
and to Employers Of Over s34. 200, 900 in
Six Years-The Reading DifficuIty as 1t
Is Viewed by the Opposing PARTIES
Strikers Comforting CorbIn's Order.
WASHINGTON CRY. Dec so Commission
or of Labor Carol D. Wright has transmit
ted his third annual report to the secretary
OF the interior This report relates entirely
to strikes and lockouts occurring in the
United States for the period Of six years, be-
ginning Jan. /, 1881, and ending Dec. 81,
1855
Mr.. Wright says that the industrial de-
pressions which have toen SO frequent in this
country since 1877 really establish the period
as one Of strikes and lockoutS The manu-
featuring establishment is taken as the unit
in all matters rather than the strike itself.
The names of establishments have not been
given, for many apparent reasons but the
localities and the industries to which the es-
Establishments belong are all clearly specified.
After detailing the methods by which the
bureau collected its information land these
show that the greatest care was taken in the
investigation, the commissioner states that
there were for the whole period involved
q, 1886 establishments in which strikes oc-
CURED, and 2, so in which lock-outs occurred.
The strikes are divided by years as follows:
In 1881, 2.92S; in 1882, 2, JOS; in 1888, 2, 759;
in 1884, 1857; in 1885, 2,2s4; in 1886, 8. s95
Since the LIST of January, 1887, so far as
the bureau has teen able to ascertain, there
has been a great falling off of strikes, as
compared with 1854, the number of estab-
lishments in which they occur dropping
below 5000, 5000 of which occurred in the
first half of the year.
Nearly 20 per cent of the establishments in
which strikes occurred for the six years
named and nearly 81 per cent. Of those in which
lock-outs occurred, were in the five states
of New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts,,
Ohio, and Illinois, which states contain 40
per cent of all the manufacturing establish
ments in the country, and employ IS per
cent OF the capital invested in mechanical
industries in the country.
The total number of employees involved in
the whole number of strikes for the whole
period was 1,SlS, 624, while the number OF
employees locked out was l59, 543 OF all the
strikers nearly 50 per cent were males and
dDOub IL per cent ieludlcS, Nnift OIL lnost
locked out, SO per cent were males and 81
per cent. females.
The totals show that of the strikes occur
ring in the % $50 establishments during the
period covered by the investigation, those in
10, 4o7 succeeded, aud those in :, 004 met with
partial success while in &, al0 establishments
the strikes were failures
Many difficulties were found in ascertain
ing the exact loss of employees, but the in
| formation secured shows that the loss to
them by strikes for the six years was $751;
| Sit, l65, while the loss to employees through
lockouts for the same period was S., 49,, III;
or total wage loss to employees through
strikes and loekouts, for the six years COW
cred, of $50, 93S, So Three millions, three
hundred and twenty-five thousand and fifty,
seven dollars were expended in assistance tc
strikers, so far as ascertainable The en-
pioyers' losses through strikes for the sis
years amounted to $50, 49,, 65S, and through
lockouts to IS, 49,, 26l; being total loss Il
employers in establishments where strikes
and iockouts occurred of sS4 "a, Oh
An examination of the summary table.
by industries, for both strikes and lockouts
discloses the fact that the chief burden under
| Stiihoc was ooi no W ehifteon hnuusttlcs
viz: Boots and shoes, $50 establishments
brickmaking. AIS; building trades, 6,O6o
clothing, |, s2S; cooperage, asa; food prepare
tions, 1,4l9; furniture 49l; lumber, 395
metals and metallic goods, l,5s5; mining
1000; stone, +6s; tobacco. 1853; transporta
ton, /, AIS. or a total number of establish
ments in these industries of 1857, bein.
about 80 per cent of the whole number o
establishments subjected to strikes. In lock
outs five ira les bore 50 per cent of the Who'll
burden They were as follows: Boots an,
shoes, l55 establishments; building trades
53l; clothing, 775; metals and metalli
goods, III, and tobacco 226, or total o
1851.
For the two classes Of disturbances-strike
and lockouts-these trades that have bee
named affected 22,4S2 establishments, o
about 90 per cent. of the whole number in
volved.
Among the long list of strikes there wer
several which presented unusual difiicultie
in the way Of tabular statement, and 70
these, namely the telegraphers' strike of 1873
and the strikes on the Southwestern or Goul
system Of railways in 1856, all having
national influence, specific explanations ar
given.
The facts given by the bureau regardin
the strikes occurring prior to 1881 and ais
those relative to legislation and the decision
of courts concerning strikes, combination,
conspiracies, and boycotts, constitute an e,
ceedingly valuable portion of the report